Reuse & Renovation

We strived for zero waste. What couldn’t be reused, eBayed or given away was recycled.

There is now segregated recycling for a wide range of stuff at household recycling depots, from waste electronics (contain valuable metals such as from coltan, that fuel resource wars in the developing world) to CFL light bulbs (that contain highly toxic mercury). We hired a tiny skip so the old wall plaster could go for aggregate recycling (£50 a time).

Reuse

Don’t need it any more? Give it away with:

Don’t throw it away, give it away! You might not want it, but someone round the corner may.

Our sofa bed came from Freecycle…… this solid oak wardrobe was salvaged from a skip, and sanded down…

… and this chair was also rescued and renovated.

The second hand shops on Newland Ave can be a great source of furniture. That’s where we got the dresser next to the chair above, which was brightened up from dark wood with a coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint.

Compost

Household refuse collection vehicles are one of the largest sources of local council greenhouse gas emissions- and one that’s difficult to eliminate (electric dustbin carts just aren’t feasible).

If you have enough outdoor space, composting transforms food waste and garden waste into nutritious fertiliser with almost no effort, while reducing the amount recycling vehicles have to collect.

A compost heap can be a simple as 4 pallets nailed together with a scrap of old carpet thrown over. Useful info here.